Tessa Kiros was born in London to a Finnish mother and a Greek-Cypriot father. The family moved to South Africa when she was four, and at the age of 18, Tessa set off to travel and learn all she could about the world's cultures and traditions, and new ways of living and eating. She has cooked at London's The Groucho Club and in Sydney, Athens and Mexico. On a trip to Italy to study the language and food she met her husband Giovanni, and now lives in Tuscany.